Fabric Grocery Bag Tutorial

Viola!!! Fabric Grocery Bag Tutorial as promised..
I'm a bit intimidated about writing a tutorial, so please help me out and let me know if there's
anything you would add or change.  Thanks..

You will need 1 yard of fabric total, 1/2 yard for the focus fabric and 1/2 yard for the lining fabric. Fat quarters work perfectly with this pattern. I made my bag 17.5" wide by 21.5" in height. Don't panic if your fat quarter is a little shorter or longer in either direction.



First select a shopping bag like the one above for your pattern. You can choose any size bag you would like.






Then we have to do some slicing and dicing to get the pattern in shape. Cut the fused bottom and top handles off.



I also cut off those funky pieces in the center to have a nice even pattern top. Then cut down the sides and take the back off.






Now lay out your piece of fabric and place the shopping bag pattern on top. A fat quarter works perfectly.



Now fold the fabric in half and also place your pattern on the fold and pin it down and cut out your pattern. Remember to cut 2 for the focus fabric and 2 from the lining fabric. (The middle of the bag should be against the fold side. My photo looks backwards here, oops) You get the general idea right??

I used a full 1/2 yard for my lining fabric and left it intact so the lining wouldn't have a bottom seam. I left one side open about 6" at the bottom so I could turn it right side out later.






Next you need to place the fabrics right sides together ( focus fabric and lining fabric) and sew around the middle "U" Shape curve. Then sew the outer half curved seams starting approx. 2" below the top of the handles.
(This photo was taken after it was sewn and turned. )
Cut out some V's around the corners so they lay out flat when turned. Turn right side out and press the corners. DO NOT top stitch at this point. Now your bag should look like mine above.



Next we are going to sew the handles together. Pull the lining fabric back and pin the focus fabric together.


Starting with the focus fabric sew the tops together, continuing on until the lining is sewn.





Now that the handles are sewn together, you will want to reinforce the edge with a overcasting or zig zag stitch.



Now turn the fabric right side out and the handles will have an opening at the top.



Photo of focus fabric handles before pressed. Now press again.



This photo shows the bag before our next step. Now you can topstitch the center to give the bag a finished look. We will topstitch or hand sew the openings on the sides of the handles a little later.



Now turn the two focus fabrics together and the lining pieces together. With right sides together sew the side seams. (Mine looks a little funky here since I added the blue fabric to the sides for the gusset.) Ignore the blue fabric for now.



Now turn the bag right side out with the lining inside.





Next step is to make the gusset. Fold the handles in half and the sides in about 1.5" and pin the bottom. Sew along the bottom about 1/4" catching the gusset on each end. We are going to sew a french seam so don't worry about the seam width. You can sew another reinforcement overcasting or zip zag stitch along the bottom for reinforcement. You will want this bag to hold up when carrying canned goods and heavy items.





Remember that opening in the handles? This is where you can hand sew it together if you prefer, or machine sew it now to hold the folded handles together.




Now we are going to turn it inside out again to sew the bottom. Sew along the bottom about 3/8" over the 1/4" seam you sewed on the right side. Next turn your right sides out.


This is where you would sew the lining bottom if you used fat qtrs, or the side seam on the lining if you used a half yard.




We have a finished bag.. Yeah!!! Press out your seams.

Please let me know if you see any errors in the directions or think of anything I left out. If I can add something to help, I'll be happy to. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask away. I would love to see photo's of your bags, there are so many beautiful and fun fabric options. Please email me photo's.

Have a Creative Day!!!

Kim